Buffing wheel



April 21, 1959 s/c. MOCKIEWICZ ETAL:

BUFFING WHEEL Filed July :20. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet I sx g ap M MM INVENTORS.

April 1959 s. c. MOCKIEWICZ E'QI'AL 4 2,882,654"

BUFFING WHEEL Filed July 20. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet? INVENTORS BUFFING WHEEL Sylvester C. Mockiewicz, Chicago, and James H. Bacha,

Westchester, Ill., assignors to American Bufi Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 20, 1956, Serial No. 599,038

2 Claims. (Cl. 51-193) This invention relates to bufling wheels and more particularly to an improved buffing wheel constructed of abrasive coated cloth formed into pleated layers of disc shape.

In general, metal products must be prepared for plating or finishing by first polishing the article to remove heavy burrs, and to smooth the metal surface, after which the metal article is given a final finish by employing a cloth buffing wheel to impart a smooth surface to the metal object and produce a high luster thereon. Ordinarily the polishing operation is first carried out by the use of highly abrasive polishing wheels or belts. Polishing with such wheels requires carefully controlled hand operations since the contact surface between the metal and wheel is small and coupled with the highly abrasive surface and unyielding character of the polishing wheel makes cutting or gashing of the metal piece by the polishing wheel a constant hazard. This preliminary polishing operation with grinding wheels is further difficult in that where the metal object has intricate or under-cut surfaces, a series of polishing wheels withspecially adapted shapes must be used to polish each surface which is inaccessible or impractical with a single wheel.

The final bufiing operation is usually carried out by using a cloth buffing wheel which is charged with a bufiing or polishing compound of a mildly abrasive character. Such 'wheel'and buffing compounds are generally used only to impart a final mirror-like finish and color to a metal piece and are incapable of removing any but the most superficial machine polishing marks and imperfections in the metal surface.

Usually it is not possible or practical to attempt to remove the greater imperfections or a large amount of metal with a cloth bufling wheel charged with a polishing com-1 pound, since the abrasive character of such a buffing wheel is so limited that one would wear out an entire wheel on a single part, consume excessive work time, and still not accomplish the desired result.

Thus it would be desirable to provide a polishing means for finishing metal or similar material which has an abrasive action greater than a charged cloth buff, but

which is subject to better control and cutting distribution than a grinding wheel.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a polishing wheel which is suitable for removing burrs and markings from metal objects and which has an abrasive action substantially less severe than that of a solid polishing wheel, but greater than a charged cloth bufiing wheel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a buffing or polishing wheel which has a flexible surface and isconformable with intricate surfaces of the object to be polished.

It is a further object to provide a polishing wheel wherein the polishing surface provides a broad'area of contact between the wheel and the polished article, by partial folding over of the edge of the pleated abrasive surfaces contacting the object to be polished.

mired st is Pam I this invention on a reduced scale. Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 6, one embodiment'comprising a pleated ab- It is a still further object to provide a pleated cloth buff which does not become overheatedin the polishing operation.

It is a further object to provide a bufiing and polishing wheel which has a long industrial life.

It is a still further object to provide a cloth buifing and polishing wheel which does not require repeated charges with-abrasives during the polishing operation.

It is a still further object'of the present invention to provide a pleated abrasive-coated cloth bufi which is comprised of a plurality of pleated layers arranged in a single unit to continuously present a peripheral abrasive surface.

Further and additional objects of this invention will become obvious from a consideration of this specification,

the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

In one form of this invention abrasive coated cloth layers are provided having formed therein a plurality of is provided having a channel adapted to receive the innercircumference of a plurality of such pleated cloth layers and clamp the same therein by clamping means provided on the sides of the channel. Each pleated disc is formed from a single cloth sheet and has formed therein uniform pleats radially extending from a center circumference, said pleats being formed of alternately long and short tucks of abrasive coated fabric. A hub is also provided having a central aperture and means on the outer edge to receive and frictionally engage in fixed position the clamping ring of the pleated abrasive disc assembly. Preferably the pleated cloth discs are formed in pairs, each pair having a generally U-shaped configuration, the sides of which are part of the same pleated cloth sheet, and meet at a fold or bight which is secured by the clamping ring at theinner circumference of the pleated discs.

an abrasive surface at the edge of 'said longer pleat which is at the periphery of the bufli ng wheel.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying draw-' ings, wherein: 1

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of this invention on a reduced scale; v

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 1' taken on the line 2--2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the edge of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the pleatedcharacter of the polishing surface;

Fig. 4 is a partial view of the edge of a pleated bufiing unit similar to that of Fig. 3, showing the folding over of the long segment of the pleat in the abrasive cloth.

after use;

Fig. '5 is a partial view of a cloth abrasive sheet show ing the formation of pleats therein and also showing the bias cut on the fabric, said sheet being particularly, adapted for use in preparing the pleated buffing units similar to that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. Ion a reduced scale;. and Fig.7 is a'perspective view of another embodiment of rasive buff 10 is illustrated incorporating the teachings of this invention. The buff 10 includes a plurality of, pleated discs 12, eachformed'of abrasive coated c lo'th tg having a plurality of pleats 14'ext'endin'g radially from Patented Apr. 21, 1.959.

an inner circular circumference or edge 16 to an outer concentric circumference 18. A circular stitching 20 is shown which serves to secure and reinforce the pleated discs, but such stitching is not necessary where a compact buff is not desired. Each pair of pleated discs is of U- shaped cross section as is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises two pleated cloth abrasive disc faces joined at their inner circumference to form a fold or bight 16 as illustrated.

The bight or fold 16 of the pleated disc is secured by the clamping lugs 22 of a centerless annular ring 24. An apertured metal center or hub 26 is provided as illustrated in Fig. 1, and will be inserted as desired. A plurality of lips 28 extending outwardly from the periphery of the center 26 are formed parallel to the axis of the buff and upon being positioned as shown in Fig. 1 these lips are formed outwardly to engage the clamping ring 24, making the center 26 an integral part of the buff structure.

The manner in which the lips 28 engage the clamping ring 24 is clearly shown by the partial sectional view of Fig. 2. Also clearly shown in Fig. 2 is the manner in which the U-shaped pair of pleated discs 12 are secured in the clamping ring 24 by the lugs 22. Stitching 20 is shown securing a plurality of the pleated discs 12 in Figs. 1 and 6. In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, four discs are employed and are shown in Fig. 2 in overlying relationship formed about a common fold. In this particular embodiment of the invention, the abrasive surfaces of the plurality of pleated discs are all directed outwardly from the common center fold secured by the clamping ring.

Fig. 4 particularly illustrates the usefulness and the unique mode of operation of the present construction. Therein it can be seen that a section of the work-engaging surface of the pleated buifing wheel is folded over whereby the peripheral portion of the long segment 41 of the pleated abrasive sheet overlies the shorter fold 43 thereof. By so folding, the abrasive surface of the outer edges 35 of the pleats 14 are presented to, the article to be polished by the pleated abrasive bud. The appearance of the pleats before use is shown in Fig. 3, and the appearance after use is shown in Fig. 4.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the pleated cloth abrasive layers are formed of bias cut strips as shown in Fig. 5, so as to present a bias edge at the periphery of the pleated disc so that, in effect, the warp threads 40 and the woof threads 42 therein are disposed at a substantial angle to a tangential line at the circumference of the pleated disc or more practically to the work-engaging surface. Thus, fraying and disintegration of the buff are minimized and each warp and woof strand is fixed by the clinch or clamping ring 24.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a pleated abrasive bufiing disc similar to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It may be seen therein that the pleated discs are arranged in pairs having the abrasive surface 34 of each pleated disc facing outwardly from a transverse plane extending through the common center fold and the cloth surface 32 of each disc member inwardly directed toward the plane of said center fold. Annular clamping ring 24 and hub 26 are also shown in this view. The preferred direction of rotation of the buff is indicated by arrow 46.

In Fig, 7 another embodiment of this invention is illustrated wherein the pleated layers are arranged so that the abrasive surfaces 35 of the pleated layers are directed toward each other. It will be noted that in this particular embodiment the cloth surfaces 36 are on the outer surfaces of the layer as well as in facing relationship in the center of the disc. It has been found that wear of the abrasive sheet is minimized when two abrasive faces are, in engagement thus reducing the cutting effect of the abrasive on adjacent discs. The centerless annular clamping ring securing the inner fold of the pleated discs is also employed in this embodiment, and is shown withut. a hu dev ce The. pt e itsd r cting of ro ation.

for the pleated abrasive disc in Fig. 7 is shown by the arrow 44.

The method of construction of the pleated abrasive coated cloth buffs is an important part of the present invention. An elongate strip of bias cut fabric having an abrasive surface on one side thereof is pleated to form a series of uniform pleats transverse to the longitudinal direction of the strip, which are secured in place by a central longitudinal stitching. The pleats are formed of alternately long and short folds or segments of the abrasive cloth. Generally the longer segment of each pleat should be about 1%" long and the shorter segment about A" long. While the length of each segment is not critical and may vary, it is preferred that the approximate lengths and ratio set out above be maintained. The pleated strip may be formed into a cylinder or a plurality of overlying cylinders supported on a drum. If desired, a plurality of pleated cylinders may be superimposed on each other to form a plurality of pleated discs, having a single common fold. The position of the pleated abrasive surface is not critical, but it is preferred that the pleated cylinders be so arranged as to present a cloth surface on the outer cylinder surface, and that any two overlying and abutting surfaces be the same, that is, both cloth surfaces or both abrasive surfaces, the reason for which will hereafter become apparent. The pleated cylinders formed as described above are placed upon a transversely split cylinder for forming into the pleated layers. The split cylinder has a centrally located, annularly disposed slot on the circumference thereof and the halves of the cylinder are adapted to be separated for removal of the buffing discs after they have been formed. The pleated abrasive cloth cylinder is positioned on the split cylinder so as to have the annular slot of the latter positioned at a point substantially midway on the pleated cylinder. The central portion of the pleated cloth cylinder is then constricted by means of a mechanical iris, causing the central circumference of the cylinder to be gathered into a smaller aperture in the annularly disposed slot of the split cylinder. The constricting action causes the ends of the cylinder to fold upwardly from the constricted portion thereof to form the edges of a pair or plurality of pairs of pleated cloth discs. The pair or pairs of discs so formed are U-shaped in a cross section taken along the axis of the cylinder or disc. The constricted portion of the cylinder forms the inner circumference of the disc and corresponds to the base or bight of the U in cross section. After forming the disc is removed and secured at the inner circumference by the annular clamping ring.

It is a preferred procedure in making the pleated discs that the pleated cylinder to be formed into a pleated disc be placed on the forming cylinder so as to dispose a cloth surface to the iris constricting device, since the abrasive surface of the cloth contacting the blades of the iris would cause undue wear on the blades thereof. Thus, for example, one may place a pleated cylinder on the slottedv drum with the abrasive surface on the inside of the cylinder wall. If desired, a plurality of pleated cylinders may be so placed as to present a cloth outer surface to the blades of the iris, although the use of more than three of such cylinders so superimposed to form pleated discs is not recommended. Additional advantages are gained by placing a pair of pleated cloth cylinders in the forming device so that the abrasive surfaces contact each other and both the inner and outer walls of the double cylinder are cloth surfaces. Thus both the iris and the slotted drum are protected from excessive abrasion and wear. The pleated discs produced by this method are as illustrated in Fig. 7.

Generally any cloth abrasive sheet material is suitable in forming the pleated abrasive discs of the present invention. Exemplary of such abrasive cloths are abrasive metal cutting cloth and carborundum cloth of the general type manufactured by the Carborundum Company. It

should be noted that bias cut cloth is particularly preferred in forming the discs of the present invention so as to reduce fraying and raveling of the cloth to a minimum. In general the cloth should not be too heavy, since the construction of heavy cloth produces an extreme strain on the iris machine. Also, the cloth must have suflicient flexibility to permit the peripheral fold-over described above, whereby a continuous abrasive perimeter is provided.

The particular abrasive material used in the cloth of the pleated abrasive discs is not a critical matter and a variety of abrasive materials may be used. Exemplary of such materials, but not limited thereto, are silica, sand, alumina, garnet, carborundum and alundum. Any of a number of grit sizes may be used to coat the abrasive sheets for use in the present invention. The bonding material which is used to adhere the abrasive particles to the cloth sheet may be any of a broad variety of well-known glues or adhesives, such as fish glue, bone glue, natural resin glue, phenolic adhesives, synthetic resin cements, and the like. Ordinarily, the adhesive selected should be sufliciently flexible to permit flexing or bending of the cloth without cracking or permitting the abrasive to flake from the cloth backing. However, if the glue renders the cloth stiff, it is preferred that the cloth be broken by drawing the sheet over a relatively sharp edge to insure suiiicient flexibility for the peripheral fold-over. It is possible, in the instance of cloth sheets having non-oilsoluble adhesives, to increase flexibility by dipping the pleated disc in an oil bath before use. Of course, such a procedure should not be carried out when the adhesive is adversely affected by oils to the extent of impairing the bond and permit dislodgement of the abrasive particles.

Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully explain the character of my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service while retaining certain features which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to us by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A bufiing wheel of disc shape comprising a bufiing portion of pleated, abrasive coated, single ply cloth discs of uniformly alternate long and short portions forming pleats wherein said abrasive coated cloth comprises a flexible bonding material on one surface of the cloth and abrasive particles adhered by said bonding material to said one surface of the cloth, said pleated discs being formed in single pairs as a plurality of independent separate U-shaped members with a common central fold and each of said pairs of discs being joined at an inner circumference and extending independently radially outward to an outer concentric circumference, a centerless clamping ring engaging and clamping the common fold of said pleated discs, and an apertured hub engaging said clamping ring in fixed position, said bufling wheel being characterized in that the longer portion of each pleat is formed over and overlies the shorter portion to present the abrasive coated surface of the longer portion at the workengaging surface at the outer circumference of the pleated disc.

2. A buifing wheel of disc shape comprising a bufling portion of pleated, abrasive coated, single ply cloth discs of uniformly alternate long and short portions forming pleats wherein said abrasive coated cloth comprises a flexible bonding material on one surface of the cloth and abrasive particles adhered by said bonding material to said one surface of the cloth, said pleated discs being formed in single pairs as a plurality of independent separate Ushaped members with a common central fold and each of said pairs of discs being joined at an inner circumference and extending independently radially outward to an outer concentric circumference, rigid central means defining a hub and engaging the common fold of said pleated discs, said bufiing wheel being characterized in that the longer portion of each pleat is formed over and overlies the shorter portion to present the abrasive coated surface of the longer portion at the work-engaging surface at the outer circumference of the pleated disc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 608,171 'Birely Aug. 2, 1898 1,697,442 Webber Jan. 1, 1929 1,954,655 Stratford Apr. 10, 1934 1,976,380 Wilkinson Oct. 9, 1934 2,004,623 Yoke June 11, 1935 2,106,610 Kreilick et al June 25, 1938 2,140,208 Murray Dec. 13, 1938 2,519,275 Mollica Aug. 15, 1950 2,767,524 Schafiner Oct. 23, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 157,225 Australia Jan. 28, 1954 493,451 Canada June 9, 1953 

